All of these works step away from words and into the realm of vocal sonic explorations.

If you are listening, like most do, using merely your built in computer speakers, I strongly recommend you use earphones or headphones for the highest sound quality in each digital sound file. If you don’t believe me, try it both ways, and you’ll hear the marked difference.  Thanks!

AVIAN AIR

Composed, Recorded and Voiced by Julie Volkmann (c) 2015

This piece was inspired by the pre-dawn chorus of birds I hear every morning while I’m  sleeping with the window open.

AFTERMATH

Composed, Recorded and Voiced by Julie Volkmann (c) 2015

This was inspired by the horrific bombings by American drone planes in Iraq that resulted in the deaths of 400 Iraqi citizens, primarily women and children,  who were in an underground bomb shelter that took a direct hit.  I learned that a mother who survived the bombing, but lost eight children in the attack, had dedicated herself to living at the bombed out shelter in an effort to honor her children’s lives by promoting peace, and would told the story of the bombing.  I felt compelled to try to  give voice to this woman’s pain  and the pain of all mothers who lose their children to senseless acts of violence.

DRONES CHANCE COMPOSITION

This work came about as a way to first explore the long sonorous drone tones employed by Pauline Oliveros and Stuart Dempster, incorporating elements of chance composition and emulating some of Oliverso early electronic audio work.  After laying down separate tracks of my voice in different vocal registers, I cut the individual tracks into little bits and randomly arranged them on the audio workstation which I use for recording and mixing.

NAME THAT PHRENIA

Composed, Recorded and Voiced by Julie Volkmann (c) 2015

This was an exploration of rhythms in the context of a psychic episode.

BEGINS w MF and MOVES ON

Composed, Recorded and Voiced by Julie Volkmann (c) 2015

This was inspired after listening to a number of Morton Feldman experimental compositions.